Bap Jal Sajuneun Yeppeun Nuna

After watching this series a second time, I am upgrading the rating to 9 stars.

Situated in 2015 Seoul, a 35 year old submissive woman meets younger guy, is wooed and falls in love. The relationship between Jin-A and Jun-Hui, 10 years her junior, is both touching and annoying. The miscommunication, indirectness, missed opportunities, etc., make for some interesting plot arcs. It is enjoyable to watch Jin-A progress from a woman who cannot believe she possesses a guy who is totally consumed by her into someone who, in one sense, doesn't need him anymore but, in another sense, knows he is the only man who will ever truly love her and thus won't settle for anything less.

At the lowest level, this series is a Romeo and Juliet type of love story, but it has a number of other more interesting plot issues that make it one of the better k- dramas that is definitely worth the viewer's time. The most important one is the heroine's development into a self confident woman who maintains her compassionate dignity. Next is the sexual harassment plot arc that must be fully played out and ultimately affects the romance. The ultra-traditional mother, who demands Jin-a marries a wealthy husband to the point of, absurdity, takes on a comedic role at times. American viewers who know nothing about Korean culture, like me, may be struck by the constraints placed on Korean women: family duty, the favoring of the son, male chauvinism and laws that seem to treat women as 2nd class citizens. This realistic glimpse into Korean life may be the series best aspect and sets it apart from many other Korean shows.

Son Ye-jin, whose wholesome beauty and effortless acting in the role of Jin-A, has a good screen presence and stands out by virtue of the seemingly mild mannered self-deprecating character she develops into mature self-confident woman who decides to live life on her own terms. Supported by a very capable cast, Son is able to juxtapose her character against a panoply of relatives, friends and colleagues who, due to their bondage to Korean traditions, have some significant issues that test Jin-a's determination and humanity.

All told, this would make a very good first Korean drama series for you to watch

If it wasn't for all the stress that I had to endure to just finish this series, I would have given it a 10 easily. Watching this was one of the most excruciating experiences because I felt every bit of it and it hurt me so much. They mirrored, what I believe to be, some of life's worst things you have to go through in a superb way that your body can't deal and you emotions won't stop building up to the point of eruption. This series was so impactful I regret to say that I only managed to sleep four hours from all the mess of feelings I had to endure. It is not an easy watch and some won't share my thoughts but I believe this series pushed every possible button I had buried deep inside of me in every imaginable way. I was disappointed with the ending because I wanted something majestic for all the pain I had to endure and they failed to deliver. This review might feel like a 1 star but it's just my experience with the series. They wanted to portray life at it's worst, the way it is in the real world. It was unpleasant to see how despicable we have become as people no matter where or who we are. After watching the whole series, you'll feel like your perspective of what life is and what it's supposed to be changed. I'll leave you with that. Enjoy.

Nobody else would have considered producing this. It is too slow, too repetitive, people are too sensitive for the story to sell outside Asia, it's overall "too Korean", people spend too much time eating and drinking and many other reasons. I am a European, old, white male and therefore as far away from the intended target group of this movie as possible (I guess). And yet, the characters and the story got me hooked within 15 minutes and I binge-watched to the end. Character development is beautiful and slow, timing is impeccable, drama is balanced with light comedy in an effortless way, every single actor is well cast and executes perfectly. And most of all, it is incredibly refreshing to see sensible "normal" people compared to all these overly egoistic and egocentric characters in American blockbusters that are only motivated by money, sex, violence, power... I probably should add that I am a hopeless romantic who watches Casablanca every few years and still enjoys it every time. If you fall into this category, no matter what else you like or dislike I highly recommend this series. Also if you are interested in Asian cultures or have never been to Korea you will probably learn a lot. The reason why I started using Netflix was Sense8. And this series also has the tenderness and "love conquers all" message but without the sex scenes obviously :-)

I felt riveted by rhe growing love between the 2 protagonists, who are struggling with family acceptance of their relationship. I also appreciated the insights into Korean culture and workplace politics.

Damn, I love this guy.

I know he only plays one character (the male lead in case you're wondering) in the whole cast of characters in this show, but daaaammmnmnnn I love this guy.

Okay, that said, I just did a review for One Spring Night, which has the same director as this one. Much of what I said in that review could be repeated here. I'll do so briefly. I love the realism of this drama, which I think is more apparent than in many drams I've watched (even if I've loved those other ones). This seems to be more about real people you might meet in Korea, not the upper echelons.

The acting, soundtrack, and filmography I think is perfect. Love the chemistry of the two leads, and for some reason I reached the end of the story feeling bittersweet - it was the ending I wanted, but I was so sad that the show was over. I was left aimless, wondering what the heck I'm gonna watch next.

I'll definitely check out whatever this director does next, and I'll follow the actors as well, because I loved their work.